A Surprising Reason You Should Order Dessert On Dates

Imagine you’re on a dinner date—a first date no less—and things seem to be going well…you’ve made it to dessert and you haven’t lost interest. According to a new study, ordering something sweet can actually help that romantic connection.

Scientists at Purdue University conducted a series of studies, both of which had the same results. In one experiment, college-aged students were asked to evaluate either their current relationship or a hypothetical relationship with a made-up partner. Half of the participants were given sugary drinks; the other half received glasses of water. (No one was given alcohol, but wouldn’t that have added an interesting layer to the research?)

The second experiment was set-up similarly, but participants were given food instead of drinks, so either Oreos or salt-and-vinegar chips. Both experiments showed that those who consumed the sweet treat were much more interested in their date and felt more positive about the budding relationship in general—but that only worked for the hypothetical relationships, no differences were seen with participants in current relationships.

The paper, published last year, suggests there’s a powerful link between sweet tastes and emotions associated with love, particularly when it comes to initial attraction. The researchers behind the study also believe these findings help explain why so many people call their loved ones pet names like “sweetie” and “honey,” and they’re now planning additional studies to learn why “hot” and “spicy” are so often used to describe attractive people. Stay tuned!